House Democrats Clash With Education Department Over Watchdog’s Status

Government Executive: The Trump administration’s strategy for resisting congressional oversight continued in the realm of the Education Department this week as two House Democrats reiterated their unmet demands for documents relating to alleged White House interference with the independence of an inspector general.

House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., teamed with Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., in a letter to Deputy Education Secretary Mitchell Zais seeking materials as part of a probe into whether the administration had sought to ease out acting IG Sandra Bruce in connection with her investigation of the administration’s new approach to authorizing a trade school accrediting body.

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